Naomi Osaka could quit tennis if her daughter asks
Naomi Osaka has opened up about life as a mother and a player, saying she is still working out the balance while backing Coco Gauff after the American faced racist abuse online.
Updated : Oct 25, 2026 19:49 IST , Tokyo - 3 MINS READ
Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, says she is still finding her balance between tennis and motherhood. | Photo Credit: AFP
Naomi Osaka, a four-time Grand Slam champion, says she is still finding her balance between tennis and motherhood. | Photo Credit: AFP
Former world number one Naomi Osaka has hinted at an uncertain future in the sport, saying she would think about walking away from tennis if her three-year-old daughter asked her to.
The four-time Grand Slam champion from Japan stepped away for 15 months after giving birth to her daughter, Shai, and came back to the tour in 2023.
Osaka is in Tokyo this week for the Pan Pacific Open and said that becoming a mother has changed what matters most to her.
“I wouldn’t say I’m part-timing it but my entire day doesn’t consist of that,” said the 29-year-old, now ranked 19 in the world.
“It’s tough, sometimes I look towards my future and I often wonder how long I’m going to play.
“Because if my daughter did say she didn’t want me to travel as much, I’m not the type of person to ignore that.”
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In 2021, Osaka also paused her career to look after her mental well-being.
She said her “mindset is changing a lot” with age.
“My daughter is my biggest priority,” she said.
“I try my best to put as much energy as I can into tennis.
“If I think about it in certain ways, I’m really proud of where I am now because it’s not like I can dedicate my entire time to the sport.”
Online abuse
Osaka said that balancing her responsibilities as a player and a mother was something she was “figuring out little by little”.
She also backed American Coco Gauff, who said she had received an “insane” amount of racist abuse online during this month’s China Open.
Gauff, who is Black and ranked fifth in the world, said the experience had been “kind of draining”.
Osaka, who has a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, said “nobody should have to go through that”.
“It’s sad but I’m used to it on my end,” she said.
“I feel like for me, I’ve dealt with that my entire career through decisions that I make that seem to make some people upset. It’s tough.”
Osaka said the steps taken by the WTA, the governing body of women’s tennis, to tackle social media abuse did not “ever seem to fully work all the way”.
“I know that some people are like, OK, if it bothers you that much, stay off social media,” said Osaka.
“But sometimes that’s the best way to connect with your fans.
“From my end, what I do about it is I don’t really go on social media at all.”
Osaka is the seventh seed in Tokyo and will face Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the opening round.
World number one Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan and Philippines sensation Alexandra Eala are also in the field.
Osaka said she was “not far off” rediscovering her best form and was “optimistic for next year”.
(With inputs from AFP)
Published on Oct 25, 2026
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